"How old is
God?" asked Ștefania,
a ten year old from a village outside of Sibiu. "God doesn't have an age. He
wasn't created. He has always been here." was the response. "Well then," said Ștefania, "He must be at least
56."
This month
was definitely different than most. We spent three weeks in the mountains
outside of Sibiu conducting summer camps for local children and young people.
What an experience! Our days were filled with Bible lessons, crafts, English
classes, trips into the mountains to pick blueberries, and hikes to the
waterfall.
Picking blueberries in the mountains
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Our nights were filled with reprimands and redirection...and very
little sleep. Many times we asked ourselves how we allowed ourselves to get
into this situation. How could we have been so, well, stupid? But then God was
always faithful to remind us of the reason for camp. It wasn't to make
bracelets or to learn a little English. It was to offer hope. It was to speak
words of encouragement to those who hear so little of it. Here are a few
stories of those who needed it so desperately.
Lenuța is 18
years old and lives with her mother, who is sick, and her alcoholic father.
Lenuța tries to cover up her hopelessness with a bad attitude and an outward
appearance that exclaims fearlessness and self-confidence. Her façade was weak,
though, and her heart made an escape one day as we talked about God's promises,
particularly Jeremiah 29:11. She wept as
she talked about home, family and future. She could not understand why everyone
around her only talks about failure and despair and never encouragement and hope.
Lenuța was on God's heart when we said yes to summer camp.
Jeremiah 29:11 on paper mache, handcrafted by one of the girls
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Ema was
raised by her grandmother after her mother abandoned her. She finished 10th grade in her village, but her grandmother will not allow
her to go to school in Sibiu and get a high school diploma. Ema has applied for
a visa to the US seven times, only to be denied each time. She is bright and
ambitious, but feels trapped by her circumstances. She cried as she talked
about her future and expressed her disappointments about God's seeming lack of
interest in her. She wondered aloud if things would ever change for her.
These weeks
were full of broken children and young people. Some abandoned by parents who
had left the country to find work. Others held captive by extreme poverty and
lack of education. Some have lost parents and others have parents that have
lost hope for a better future. Some live in constant fighting and bickering.
Others are abused. All are in need of the hope we find only in Jesus Christ.
Girls from Rosia and Richis
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A week at
camp did not fix these kids or their situations. They went home to the same
parents or guardians, the same chaos, the same negative words. So what good did
one week at camp do? Seeds were planted.
"So, the
Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry
tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey
you."
Miracles
begAt the waterfall
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with a seed of faith. A word of encouragement (the seed), mixed with a little bit of hope (faith), can change a life forever. May
these tiny seeds of His Word take root and grow, bringing forth changed lives.
Thanks for your continued prayers as we seek the Lord's direction in how to serve Him by loving others. We know that God has given us specific direction to focus on the adult orphans of Romania. Please stand with us in prayer as God's plan of reaching this population is revealed. With so many needs around us it is easy to get distracted, but we are searching to know the next step in helping the ones to which He has called us.
To God be the glory,
Stephanie and Leslie
P.S. Special thanks to Lydia, Naomi, Kayla, and Sydney for all of your help. You girls are troopers!
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